Tongs



April 1 1924.

M C. ALDRIDGE TONGS Filed Dec. 1. 1922 INVENTOR adlclrzki e,

WITNESSES v ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 1, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATE'N trio.

MADISON CLEVELAND ALDRIDGE, OF BATESVILLE, MISSISSIPEL TONGS.

Application filed December 1, 1922. Serial No. 604,261.

T 0 all to hem it may concern Be it known that I, MADISON C. ALDRIDGE, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Batesville, in the county of Panola and State of Mississippi, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tongs, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in tongs of that type of construction generally used by blacksmiths to grip various pieces of work, and it consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of the invention is to provide tongs of the character described which afford facilities for holding a plow point or like piece of work so that the same can be firmly held for sharpening, repair or for any other purpose.

A further object of my invention is to provide tongs of the character specified which have means for releasably holding the work engaging portions thereof in work engaging position.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the character described which is relatively simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture and thoroughly practical commercially.

Other objects and advantages may be apparent from the following description, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view showing tongs embodying the invention and a plow point gripped thereby,

Figure 2 is a relatively enlarged group view, showing the cooperating work engaging portions or jaws of the device detached from each other together with the means for pivotally connecting them together, and

Figure 3 is an end elevation of the tongs.

In carrying out 'my' invention, I provide a pair of handles A and B respectively merged by relatively wide flat portions C and 1) into ofiset jaws Eand F respectively.

The jaw E extends laterally of the plane of opposite sides of the handle A and is bifurcated by an opening E extending Ion-- gitudinally of the jaw E from the outer end thereof along the longitudinal median line thereof. The jaw F extends laterally at one side of the plane of the corresponding side of the handle B so that the jaw F will overlie the longitudinal median portion of the jaw E when the jaws E and F are arranged in confronting relation with respect to each other with the flat portions C and D in flatwise contiguous relation in respect to each other and being pivotally secured together I 'The jaw F is preferably of greater Width than the opening E.

The handle A is fashioned at its end remote from the jaw E to provide an eye or loop portion A which swingingly supports a latch member L which is shown as being an elongated loop, such as a chain link. The handle B is bent inwardly toward the handle A adjacent to its end remote from that provided with the jaw F and then outwardly at its extremity to provide a seat B adapted to engage with the swinging latch loop when the free end portion of the latter is swung over the end of the handle B.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, the operation thereof may be readily understood. The

bifurcation forming opening E is adapted.

to receive the depending flange P of a plow point P so that the furcations of the jaw E may engage with the underface of the body of the plow point. When the handles A and B are gripped and forced together, the jaw F will engage the upper face of the body of the plow point and'the latter will thus be firmly gripped so that it can be held immovable while the tip or point thereof is sharpened or for any other purpose. In or- I der to maintain the jaws in gripping relation to the plow point without the necessity of exerting pressure upon the handle continuously, the latch loop L may be swung over the end of the handle B into engagement with the seat B as illustrated in Figure 1, and the handles A and B are thus held against swinging apart. When it is desired to release the plow point, the handles A and B may be sprung together a distance suflicient to permit of the latch loop L being swung out of engagement with the handle B. j

The device is simple in construction and provides means for gripping a plow point or like work more firmly than has been possible prior to my invention with any similar tool, of which I am aware.

Obviously, my invention is susceptible of embodiment in forms other than that illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and

I therefore consider as my own all modifications and adaptations of the form of the device herein disclosed, which fairly fall within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is A tool of the character described comprising a pair of longitudinal handles, a flat jaw for each handle, and relatively wide fiat portions merging each jaw into the corresponding handle so that each jaw is ofiset in respect to its handle, one of said jaws being relatively wide and extending laterally of the planes of opposite sides of its handle and being bifurcated by an opening extending along the longitudinal median line thereof from its outer end, the other o1 said jaws extending at one side laterally of the plane of the corresponding side of the handle, and means pivotally connecting said fiattened portions in flatwise contiguous relation to each other so that said jaws will be disposed in confronting relation in respect to each other.

MADISON CLEVELAND ALDRIDGE. 

